Jagnus || Shadowhunters || Jagnus || And They Were Roommates || Jagnus || Shadowhunters || Jagnus
Title: And They Were Roommates – And They Were Alpha and Omega Too!
Fandom: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
Disclaimer: All rights to the Shadowhunters show reserved to Ed Decter, the books the show is based off and its characters belong to Cassandra Clare. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: m/m, wingfic, grooming, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, shapeshifters, nesting, heat, fluff, hurt/comfort, past abuse, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, knotting, f/f, m/f
Main Pairing: Magnus/Jace
Side Pairings: Alec/Andrew, Helen/Aline, Raphael/Isabelle, Simon/Clary, Luke/Catarina
Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan 'Jace' Herondale, Magnus Bane, Isabelle Lightwood, Maxwell Lightwood, Alexander 'Alec' Lightwood, Clarissa 'Clary' Fray, Simon Lewis, Raphael Santiago, Luke Garroway, Catarina Loss, Madzie Loss, Andrew Underhill, Aline Penhallow, Helen Blackthorn, Imogen Herondale, Sebastian Verlac | Jonathan Morgenstern
Summary: When Magnus opened his home to Jace, he hadn't realized the Shadowhunter was an omega. An unmated omega, at that. Now, he had to adjust to having the omega in his space and slowly, over the course of living together, they grow closer.
And They Were Roommates
And They Were Alpha and Omega Too!
Chapter 3: And He Was a Father
"Trouble! Come here for a second!"
Jace closed his eyes and counted to five, trying to breath deeply. "Tell me that's a new cat."
The next second, Magnus poked his head in. "No. That's you. You keep making that upset baby kitten face when I call you 'little Shadowhunter' and I told you, if you don't like your full first name, I will be using nicknames. I'm trying something new. And since you attract trouble like light attracts moths, well, you get it, right? So, you're Trouble."
Jace breathed deeply once more, frowning as he turned toward Magnus. "What... did you want?"
"Come with me. We... will be having another roommate, at least for a few days."
"O—Okay, who is it?" asked Jace curiously as he followed Magnus.
He paused as he saw Raphael sitting on the couch. The alpha was sweating, shaking. He did not look good at all. What was he... doing here? Frowning, Jace turned to watch Magnus. The warlock walked over to Raphael, sitting down next to him and gently resting a hand on his back. Huh.
"I summoned a guest-room next to yours. For now, you need to... stay away from Raphael," stated Magnus slowly. "And, above all, I need your help in keeping your sister away from him."
"I need more information," requested Jace, eyebrows drawn together even more.
He crossed his arms and watched as Magnus guided Raphael toward the new guest-room. The warlock answered only after he returned, a concerned frown on his face. This was... new. Sure, Jace had seen the alpha in a vulnerable state before, but that was about his own trauma and bitterness. This was different, this was Magnus' caring side – a side that Jace had seen plenty of, but in a whole new light. He looked so incredibly worried and wary, like his heart was breaking for someone else.
"Isabelle... has a problem. She has been taking yin fen. And when she ran out, she started... using vampire-venom directly. By getting Raphael hooked to her blood," stated Magnus slowly.
What? No. That wasn't—Someone would have told him. Right? Jace would know this. Jace would have noticed... No, he wouldn't have. He barely ever saw Isabelle anymore. She worked so much in the morgue and labs, Jace was so obsessive and busy with Valentine. He was also not living at the Institute anymore, which only put more distance – physical and emotional – between them.
"I... should... I..." again, Jace tried to breath. "Wait. What's your deal with Raphael?"
Distraction was good, better than the guilt. Magnus filled two glasses and handed one to Jace before heading out to the balcony. Jace was quick to join him. The night was beautiful, the moon bright and the city lit up brightly. Drinking slowly, Jace leaned against Magnus a little bit, because it was cold out and Magnus radiated warmth. The alpha didn't pull back from him, instead he leaned in.
"Raphael is like a son to me," Magnus' voice was a sad whisper. "He's my family. And... seeing him like this... I... It breaks my heart. I should have noticed sooner. I should have helped-"
"Oh, stop that," Jace interrupted him with a grunt. "You're here now. You decided to help as soon as you noticed something was wrong. It's not your fault for not seeing it sooner. Your life's kind of a mess, I mean, everybody's is right now. You're... great. For helping now."
Magnus hummed, but didn't argue again. Instead, the two stood there in silence, watching the city and the sky. It were moments like these that meant the most to Jace, strangely. He was always so full of bravado, loud and cocky. Forcibly filling the silence. He didn't feel that need with Magnus. They had both been vulnerable and raw with each other, shedding their masks. There was no need to fill the silence, Jace was allowed to just be quiet and relax when he was with Magnus.
/break\
"What... are you doing here...?"
Raphael was mainly annoyed as he entered the kitchen to find Jace, humming some tune as he made breakfast for himself. Weren't Shadowhunters supposed to be busy? When Magnus had bid his goodbye this morning to meet a client, Raphael had hoped he'd have the loft to himself.
"I live here too, if your... dad didn't tell you yet," quipped Jace.
"Yes. But you are also supposed to... be busy... work. Be somewhere else."
Jace hummed and flipped his pancake. "Blood's in the fridge. Can you heat it up yourself?"
"I'm not... incapacitated," Raphael grunted offended. "Yes, I can heat up my own blood."
"Man, you're cranky. Will coffee fix that? It fixes that with your dad."
There was something strange about the way Jace referred to Magnus as his dad. Something both disturbing and also earnest about it. It was too early to think about that. Instead, he went to the fridge to get his blood, filling it into a mug and putting it in the microwave. He stood close to Jace for that and caught a whiff of the omega's scent. Strawberry. Magnus had said that. Well, Magnus had nearly waxed poetry about that; he seemed very caught up in the omega's scent. While Raphael didn't entirely get it, he had to admit that it was pleasant.
"Uh. Your dad's out for work and I... happen to have the day off so I figured... I... uh..."
"...You're babysitting me," stated Raphael stunned.
"I wouldn't have put it that way, but... Yeah. I'm here to watch you so you won't sneak out to try drink some human blood fresh from the vein. Magnus was fretting this morning about whether he even should go or not, so I offered to help out. So... we're spending the morning together."
Wonderful. The omega who was wrapping his papá around his little finger, who also happened to be the older brother of the woman Raphael was perhaps developing romantic feelings for. Not that he was entirely sure of it. Was it just the blood? The addiction? Or was it... Isabelle? She was extraordinaire, he had never met a woman like her. She was so smart and funny and Raphael knew that most simply saw her sex-appeal and reduced her to her body, which was unfair to her brilliance.
"How... How is Isabelle doing?" asked Raphael reluctantly.
"She is... you know, miserable. Running a high fever right now, but Alec's with her."
Jace's grip on his spatula tightened to the point that Raphael was surprised it didn't break. It was that moment that he really wondered why Jace was here. What he had thought initially was still true. Jace was Isabelle's brother. So what motivation had he to agree to babysit the man who had put his sister into this state...? Raphael frowned as he took his blood out of the microwave.
"Let's not do that. Let's not talk about Iz. Because that's making this very hard," stated Jace.
"Then why are you doing this?" asked Raphael after a moment.
"Because Magnus has been running himself ragged these past two days. He barely left your side. I managed to force some sandwiches into him but that was it. So, if I gotta 'babysit' you to make him go back outside again and breath some fresh air, do his job, then I'll do that. For him."
Mh. Perhaps Raphael's assessment had been wrong. It wasn't just this omega who had Magnus wrapped around his little finger, it seemed as though Jace was also quite smitten with Magnus. Taking sides when it came to family seemed so obvious and yet here Jace was, taking care of him – for Magnus' sake. That meant Magnus must be quite important to Jace.
/break\
"And the thing is, I... I think I really do like him..."
Jace was sitting with Isabelle. He'd had a talk with Alec about it and the two made an attack-plan to take care of Izzy. Well, when Jace wasn't taking care of Raphael. The parabatai basically took turns with Isabelle, and thankfully Clary pitched in too. Not so much Simon; with him being a vampire that wasn't exactly a good idea right now and besides, with Raphael still out, Simon had kind of temporarily taken over the clan-leader duties. Right now, Jace and Clary were sitting with Izzy.
"Are you... sure? I mean. Is this not just the addiction talking?" asked Clary carefully.
"Maybe. I don't... honestly, I don't know," Isabelle sighed and curled up.
She was hugging her pillow close. Talking was a good distraction. Clary and Jace were sitting behind Izzy, tending to her wings. The past days of being holed up in her room had matted her feathers, left her all frazzled. The beta seemed to relax as they took care of her wings.
"How about you get sober for now and then, with some... supervision... Get to know him, outside of... this. But. Let's wait on that," suggested Clary gently. "Ho—ow are you, Jace? I mean, with... living with Magnus. A lot's been happening lately."
"And by 'lately', you mean, since you dropped into my life, sis," Jace huffed, nudging her. "Yeah. I'm fine. I mean. Magnus is a great roommate. Not gonna lie, I was skeptical about living with an unmated alpha at first, but... he's good company. We keep discovering more things that we have in common. He just. He does this annoying thing about giving me 'nicknames'."
"Oh? Spill. What's he calling you now? I thought it was just 'little Shadowhunter', which... you're not that short. I mean, not compared to your sister at least. So, be grateful for the genes."
"Iz!" Clary yelped, slapping Isabelle on the shoulder. "I'm not that short!"
Both Isabelle and Jace gave her a pointed glare before laughing. "He's been calling me 'Trouble'."
"If the shoe fits," declared Clary pointedly, elbowing Jace now.
"Oh, like you're one to talk," Isabelle huffed. "You are two peas in a pod."
Now, all three of them were laughing together and relaxing. It was good, spending time with his sisters. He really had been holing up at Magnus' too much. He needed to do more outside again, with other, non-Magnus people. His family, for example. Live a little.
/break\
"That would be suicide, Trouble."
Every instinct in Magnus' body told him to growl at the omega, grab him and then lock him into a bedroom, far away from danger. Jace was genuinely suggesting to destroy the Soul Sword. At the cost of his own life. This war had caused Magnus much loss, he wanted it to end too. Not at this price though, that was too much. Jace tried deflecting with a snarky smile, but Magnus grasped his upper arm, giving him a no-nonsense stare-down.
"You're not doing that, Jace," stated Magnus more firmly. "We can find a different solution."
"I... Magnus is right," agreed Clary, giving her brother the most heartbroken look. "Please. You're my brother. I only just found you. Don't... We have to find a different solution for this."
Slowly, Jace seemed to falter at that and Magnus thought that would be the hardest part of the night at that moment. It was not. No, because Valentine called. With threats. Cutting Simon's throat live on camera. And then the disastrous Morgenstern-siblings came up with another bad plan. Still, Magnus was supporting them. Helping them with it. Jace glamoured himself into looking like Clary and once again willingly walked into Valentine's trap and the next time Magnus saw him, Jace was covered in his own blood, stumbling through the Institute.
"Hey. Jace. Jace, I got you," whispered Magnus gently as he caught Jace by the arms. "Alexander is on the Soul Sword. We have Valentine. Look at me, Trouble. Let's get you to the infirmary."
"No. No, I don't. No," Jace shook his head with a frown. "Home?"
Those eyes were hard to deny. "No. Infirmary. I would love to just... tend to your injuries and your injuries only, but there were warlocks here tonight. So you go to the infirmary and get checked out."
The omega looked ready to object, but Magnus simply steered him toward the infirmary, where Isabelle immediately took over. She looked better. No more dark bags beneath her eyes, no more pale and clammy skin. Clear, bright eyes, concern written over her face.
"Magnus. I... Hello. It... We..." Isabelle tried and failed at forming a full sentence.
"We haven't spoken since you basically asked me where you could get your next shot, yes."
Isabelle turned away awkwardly, trying to distract herself by taking care of Jace. "I should... Elaine's... I... I owe you amends, Magnus. For that. And for what I did... with Raphael. I know what he means to you and I know it hurt you too, I know you've been helping him. I am sorry."
"Amends," echoed Magnus curiously, with one foot out the door again.
"...Yeah. I talked to Simon, after I got over the worst of it. And he told me about his mom and the mundie program she's attending so I... uh... tried it. It's... been helping me," explained Izzy.
Magnus smiled thinly at her. "For what it's worth, I... don't blame you. It was your addiction. I'm glad you're getting help, Isabelle. You're... a good person. I want you to get better."
With that, he left the infirmary, to check on his warlocks, now that Jace was taken care of. He wasn't ready for more confrontation on that side yet. He meant what he had said to Isabelle, but a part of him was still irrationally angry and he didn't want to lash out at her. Other things were more important than his personal feelings right now.
/break\
Catching a break wasn't on their schedule at all, Magnus mused as he filled his glass. Every time he closed his eyes, he could hear his own screams as he had been tortured by the Clave. They had been stupid, they had summoned a demon and the demon had body-switched Magnus and Valentine. It took so long until they realized Magnus wasn't Valentine. So long. The memories they had made resurface... Magnus swallowed hard, his hand shaking as he brought the glass to his lips. As he drank, his eyes wandered. Things were broken all over the ground. The table was broken, so were the vase and... door. The door was broken because Valentine had thrown Jace through it.
"Papá, are you... Isabelle texted me and asked me to check on you..."
Magnus turned to watch Raphael sneak into the loft. He didn't live here anymore. He'd stayed for about a week, before returning to the hotel. He had his clan to lead and while Simon had stepped in and not done the worst job, Raphael wanted to return to his own life and duties.
"You and Isabelle are texting now?" asked Magnus teasingly.
"It's... a safe way to communicate. We don't think meeting face to face yet is a good idea, but... Yes. I've been texting with Isabelle," Raphael headed over to him, on his way gathering up broken vase-shards. "Isabelle told me what... happened. And that Jace is staying at the Institute today."
"He is?" Magnus took a deep drink.
"It's... nothing personal, you know that, right?" Raphael sounded concerned as he kept gathering broken things and putting them away. "It's been a lot for him, Isabelle said. But she also said it must have been a lot for you and while Jace has his siblings, she wanted to make sure... that you had someone too. Do you want to talk about what happened?"
Magnus' instinct was to just swallow his pain and his alcohol and keep it all close to his chest. Because that was what he did. But Raphael was here, for him, cleaning up the mess.
"You were there when I was in pieces," Raphael continued. "Let me be there for you, papá."
Well, that was even harder to argue with. He sighed and put the glass down. Finally, Raphael joined him and sat down next to him. They were joined by three of the cats, one of them – a small, black one – was playing with a feather. With a small smile did Magnus take the feather. It was white and smelt like strawberries. That little Shadowhunter really shed worse than the cats.
"I don't know what happened to him exactly. I just know... I... When I came to it again, in my own body, I found Jace hunched over in there, among a broken door. And when I reached for him to help him up... he... he flinched away. Because I... pushed him through there."
"You did not. Valentine did," corrected Raphael with a serious frown.
"In my body," argued Magnus, a dark glare etched into his face. "He looked at me and he saw the man who had pushed him around and thrown him through a door and his body reacted on instinct so he flinched away, because the very hand that was being held out to him was the one that had smacked him around. So now he's not coming home because of that."
"Home, mh?" echoed Raphael softly.
Magnus glared at him at that. "It's not just that. This was a lot for him, you know. I mean, he's... he is a Herondale now. It was revealed that he's the Inquisitor's grandson."
"I keep asking about you and you keep telling me how hard it must have been for him."
"You know me, I hate being the center of attention," Magnus drawled a little.
"Absolutely, you simply loathe that," agreed Raphael dryly. "Magnus. Please."
Heaving a sigh, Magnus put the glass down. "They tortured me, mijo. They thought I was Valentine and they tortured me. Made me... relive memories I never... I..."
His voice broke and he closed his eyes tightly. Raphael gently wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. Magnus leaned heavily into his son, clinging onto him as sobs started to take him over. Seeing his mother's face again like that. It felt like it had been just yesterday.
"I'm going to stay with you tonight," stated Raphael. "I'll not leave you alone today."
"That's nonsense, mijo. You have your clan, I know how much things have been messed up since Simon inexplicably turned into a Daylighter. You shouldn't just... stay here."
Raphael knew him better than to try and argue, but instead he got his phone out. "I'm texting Catarina. If she can come over, I will leave. But I will not leave you alone."
Magnus smiled thinly and nodded. Raphael stayed with him for another hour, mostly distracting him by talking about Isabelle and their slowly forming friendship. Until Catarina waltzed in through the door, still in her scrubs and looking exhausted. Yet despite that, she was here.
"You people need to get a life and stop hovering around me," stated Magnus seriously.
"Nonsense. If Raphael willingly texts me, it's serious. You know he's not much into texting in general. Now, all his texts said was that you need company. What happened?"
She kicked off her shoes and then sat down next to him, kissing him on the cheek. Raphael all the while slowly got up, though his eyes remained on Magnus. Always the worried son.
"I... It's been a very exhausting day," noted Magnus.
"Papá, if you don't tell her the truth, I will do it," warned Raphael.
He leaned over to hug Magnus and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay, okay. Now leave."
Raphael threw him one last concerned look before he left the loft. There was a lot of responsibility the clan-leader had and with Valentine having just escaped and being re-captured, Downworlders were concerned. The vampires could use their leader's reassurance. Catarina reached out to grab Magnus' glass and empty it for him. She sighed and got more comfortable on the couch.
"Spill. Why am I here. Why did your boy look this worried?"
"A higher demon Freaky Fridayed me with Valentine Morgenstern and I had a wonderful spa-day in the cells of the Institute getting tortured, while Valentine used my body to further abuse his son, who is living with me and for whom this loft and I were supposed to be a safe space but now he has been attacked right here, by my hands. So he's staying in the Institute tonight, for... the first time... since he moved in here. And Raphael is accusing me of trying to distract from my 'trauma' by focusing on Jace. But Jace has been abused by his father for so long and I... I became a sanctuary for him. We've been supporting each other through... the tough times. Now this..."
"Mh," Catarina nodded slowly, narrowing her eyes. "It's not about you distracting by trying to look at his pain instead of yours... it's... the pain his pain causes you. It's about your feelings for him."
"My..." Magnus paused, blinking in surprise. "I feel for him, of course."
"No, not like that," Catarina sighed, resting a hand on his arm. "You have feelings for him. An alpha can only talk about an unmated omega that much before it becomes hard to deny."
Magnus reached out for his glass again, because he definitely needed a drink after those words.
Author's note: Things I am still bitter about from the show; that Raphael and Magnus didn't have a proper bonding scene over Mag helping Raph with the addiction and also that Jace just flat out declared he'd go and kill himself to destroy the sword and NO ONE tried to actually, you know, stop him.
Next chapter, we're going to deal with Jace being a Herondale and Magnus might or might not have to think about what Catarina just suggested.